Research: On the streets - An investigation into rough sleeping

By: Hannah Rich
Published: December 2018

In 2018 no one should be living on the street. But official statistics show that there are almost 5,000 people living on the street on a given night in England. This investigation explores how people end up on the street, their experiences of street homelessness and the impact this has had on their lives.

Summary

The journey to rough sleeping is complex, often including several stages such as being evicted from a settled home, not being able to stay with friends or family and the local authority not providing support. The experience of living and sleeping on the street can impact on people's physical and mental health, their self-esteem, their relationships with friends and family, and their ability to keep or find a job. It also puts them at risk of violent behaviour and abuse.

We carried out an investigation with 12 people who have experience of rough sleeping. This investigation explores the reasons why people become street homeless, their everyday experiences of being street homeless with nowhere to go at night, and the impact this has had on their lives, in the hope that it will raise awareness of this national emergency and shed some light on how we might solve it.